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Author
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Topic: Union Projectionists
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William Hooper
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1879
From: Mobile, AL USA
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 03-03-2005 01:19 AM
quote: Richard May
Another problem today is that most customers don't care so much about a perfect presentation. I have gone on many service calls, and while being there, went in to check on other screens. The maskings are not set right. The print is scratched. It's out of focus. Do the customers complain? Mostly no.
It's now the common, lowered expectation of theatrical presentation. I read a message from a film archivist perplexing about being contacted by some company for a clip of an archival "old movie" title to be used in a presentation, they got a nice clip to them, & saw when used it had scratches, dust, etc. added to make it look like it was film.
When something cheaper leads to poor presentation, it's in the best interest of those making those changes that there be an expectation that it's the norm & thus to standardize those changes across the board. I don't think it's been mentioned before, but if the Uptown was pulling better attendance specifically because there was a preference due to an expectation of a better show there, the Uptown was due to audience comparison & preference a liability & a threat to the other theaters *in its own chain*, not just the competition. An independent doesn't have this problem, & can make a better show work to its commercial advantage.
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 03-03-2005 01:47 AM
quote: William Hooper
they got a nice clip to them, & saw when used it had scratches, dust, etc. added to make it look like it was film.
That's happened to me, too. Even worse, the producer in question took some lovely 1943 Kodachrome and removed the colour from it for transmission, believing that the public expect footage from World War II to be b/w.
One query on the unions issue: in the US, is membership the equivalent of a professional qualification? Do you have to take an exam or test in order to join, or are there other membership requirements (e.g. you have to have X amount of work experience before you can join)? I only ask because the majority of posts here see seem to be expressing the view that on balance, union projectionists seem to do a better job.
I must admit that I've had almost exactly the opposite experience of unions. For most of them here there is no entry qualification needed other than you work in the industry they cover, so they could not in any sense of the word be termed professional bodies. In every workplace I've been in it's generally been the case (yes, with exceptions) that the more heavily someone is involved with a union, the less likely they are to do a good job. In fact people tend to join and become active in them as a defence mechanism against their laziness or incompetence coming back to haunt them, or because they want power but have been unable to get it through a management position. The film I'm All Right, Jack! is a slight exaggeration, but not by much. I've also noticed that the highest profile students' union activists in universities generally end up getting lower second or third class degrees.
So, without wanting to enter a political debate about the role of unions in defending workers' rights, do they have a regulatory or professional standards function in the US which isn't the case here?
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Monte L Fullmer
Film God
Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 03-03-2005 02:41 AM
quote: Leo Enticknap
in the US, is membership the equivalent of a professional qualification? Do you have to take an exam or test in order to join, or are there other membership requirements (e.g. you have to have X amount of work experience before you can join)?
On my personal status with the unions, there were no requirements. Just the willing to join, pay the dues and be "protected" by the union contracts of the rewards of better wages, which were a lot more than the regular staff's salaries (and our salaries sometimes even matched the managers salaries, in which some of the managers were greatly offended..) and other conditions and benefits that the union of our certain local offered that was signed in the contracts between the theatre (chain) and the IATSE & the MPMO.
-I've heard that some of the other unions all over the USA is that some of the requirements were the old addage of "who you know, instead of what you know."
-I've heard that the union members never liked changes, thus why projection technology was rather dormant in progression for a long time. Then when the new concepts of projection, which contained xenon lamps, automations, big reels and other forms of film tranports that were manufactured, it was quite a stir with the members who knew that their "old schooling" was still the best method to present movies. And it's interesting that the "old school" of thought is still with us today.
-I've heard that the projection trade was mainly handed down through family: father, brother(s), son(s), grandson(s), et.al.
- as with other forms of manual trade as with carpentry, tailoring, plumbing, metalwork, et.al. - anything that take the hands and the mind to work together to make a perfected art out of the results of the two.
-I've heard that outsiders were simply not allowed for a basic reason of "infection" - that the trade will stay pure within the family. For it seems like, in a logical sense that outsiders would pick up, or develop habits that would "stain" the family trade and offset the quality of the craft.
-I've heard that if one wants to join a certain local of the union, it was voted on by the other members if they want to accept this individual, not for his traits and skills, but who he knows and if he will "fit" in with the members of the local.
<Outside of my personal relationship being member of a union, in as much as I was president of our local before the charter was taken away due to lack of membership, these comments that I presented above are purely just what I heard and contains no actual truth, quotes, or written facts that I know of. - Monte>
I've had a lot of moviegoers ask me if I attended a school of sorts to learn this trade, and of course my reply was that I was trained on site, learned the hard way, and developed my own skills.
..and so it goes.
thx-monte
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Monte L Fullmer
Film God
Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 03-03-2005 04:11 AM
quote:
Any projectionist caught leaving the booth or theatre in any conventional house will be subject to a trail and a fine by Local xxx's Executive Board.
Boy, did I find this out in the hard way!
I was reading past posts of this topic and found this.
I was working in a union house in my home town. Had just joined the local, and with my expertise of fixing things, concessions had a big problem with their popper and I knew what was wrong and knew how to fix it in a jiffy.
This house was a carbon arc house and I knew of the ruling of not leaving the booth during the machines were running. The popper took a dump and I had just made the changeover and luckilly I had a full reel up in the magazine that I just started and had the other machine all ready to go. So I knew that I had a good 15 minutes to head downstairs and fix this popper.
I zipped downstairs, found the problem, got it fixed in a quick minute and as I was JUST beginning to head upstairs, the head projectionist came to the theatre to check on booth matters that he was working on, caught me downstairs and he really gave me a HUGE heinie ream job that I'll never forget and threatened me with a duty fine for my absense in the booth. Yet, he gave me a severe warning, since this was my first offense, never to leave the booth again.
What ever was going on downstairs IS their problem, not the projectionist's problem, he told me.
-Monte
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Mitchell Dvoskin
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1869
From: West Milford, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 03-03-2005 08:29 AM
What ever was going on downstairs IS their problem, not the projectionist's problem
And then they wondered why the rest of their theatre's staff thought they were arrogant and were all to happy to help the owners boot them out. They exuded this "I work for the union, not the theatre team" attitude.
When I graduated from High School, early 1970's, I wanted to be a projectionist. I knew I wanted to do this from the time I was given a Kenner Easy-Show toy movie projector as a child. Being somewhat intelligent, I inquired as to how one become a projectionist. I was told you had to be in the union. Being determined, I inquired on how one got into the union, and was told that you had to be a qualified projectionist. I knew I was getting a run around. I then went off to college in Ohio, where I got a part time job running projectors (non-union) for the Athena Theatre in Athens Ohio, which at that time was a privately owned 1200 seat single screen theatre. In my 3rd year there, someone came down from Columbus to recruit me and the other guy (also a college student) for the union. Sure, we both said, we'd like to join, but we were skeptical that he would have any success with the owner. Then, as now, their was always some else who would take your job if you did not want it. That was the last we ever heard from the guy.
I eventually graduated, and came back to NJ. While I was working as a software developer, which is what I went to college for, I made an effort to make friends with some projectionist in hope that it would lead to a fun part time projection job. That worked, sort of, in that I was offered a chance to get into the union for a $5000 gift to a relative of the buisness agent. I declined, as opertunities to work non-union were opening up, and at that point I was only interested in part time.
What Brad says is correct. Over the years I have met many honest and talented projectionsts both in and out of the union. I have also met many incompetent projectionists both in and out of the union.
Obviously, a booth with a full time dedicated projectionist will tend to have better presentation than a manager/operator, as the booth is just a small part of the managers job, no matter how much they my love the craft. I know, most of my commercial theatre jobs were manager/operator.
As to film festivals in NYC requiring union operators, that does not tell me they do a better job than non-union operators, it tells me that they don't want to risk labor disruptions of their film festival.
/Mitchell
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Justin West
Master Film Handler
Posts: 271
From: Peoria, IL, USA
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 03-03-2005 10:45 AM
quote: Mitchell Dvoskin
And then they wondered why the rest of their theatre's staff thought they were arrogant and were all to happy to help the owners boot them out. They exuded this "I work for the union, not the theatre team" attitude.
Mitchell: I suspect that the "head projectionist" (in Monte's example) was not saying what he did in "arrogance" but rather in the interest of Monte and all other booth operators at that theatre...to preserve their jobs and their workloads. Let me elaborate...and I won't even have to use an example in a union-setting!
Let's say the Manager-Operator has the duties to: 1)set up and run the booths at his 8-plex; 2) schedule the help; 3) order supplies; 4) take care of the paperwork, etc, etc., etc... and one day, the contracted landscaping company calls and says that they won't be out that week to mow the lawn in front of the multi-plex. The place looks shaggy, dandelions sprouting, empty beer cans strewn about...and this M-O takes it upon himself to bring his mower from home and mow the front lawn that week...he reports this activity in his daily logs and expects he will get a pat on the head or an atta-boy from his GM for his initiative. He DOES...but guess what?! You got it: the lanscape contractor has been fired and the M-O is now expected to mow that lawn each week...along with his other duties...and nobody mentioned any pay increases! The age old management saying, "Time to lean, time to clean!" comes into play and if you have shown that you have time to mow a lawn (or fix a popper) in your schedule, you have too much time on your hands and management will fill it somehow...GUARANTEED! So, smart workers do what they can to protect their craft and their workloads...while smart managers do what they can to get the most work out of their employees...it truly is the battle of the ages.
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Mitchell Dvoskin
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1869
From: West Milford, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 03-03-2005 12:17 PM
Hi Justin,
Perception is everything...
I have no doubt what you say is true about preserving work loads, but you have to remember how it looked to the rest of the staff, which were in most cases did not have the opportunity to join a union. It is one of the great faults of the IA that it was never interested in transforming itself into a theatre workers union, with appropriate pay scales and job responsibilities for each job classification, and a path to progress for those who had the interest and aptitude. If that had happened, it would be a very different world today.
An example of what I am talking about; back in the 1980's in Ramsey NJ, The Interstate Theatre once stood. It was a cute little single screen that had been twined, with a union booth which had Xenon, Automation, and a Platter, a plush recliner and cable tv. By union contract, the projectionist did not even carry film up or down from the lobby. Now, I fully understand that projectionist were just trying to protect their interests (as I would have had I been in the union), but from the point of view of the rest of the staff, they were lazy and arrogant. Every time someone went up to the booth, the guy seemed to be stretched out on the recliner watching HBO. The theatres owners who negotiated the contract were not the ones stuck carrying cans up and down the stairs, it was the doorman and concession staff. It was no wonder they had no love for their operators when they felt they were working harder for far less pay. While this may not have been true, perception is everything...
/Mitchell
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